1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of controlling user information and an information processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a method of controlling user information in which the user information is provided to a plurality of application programs, and to the information processing apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An information processing apparatus such as a personal computer and an image forming apparatus can provide users with various information processing functions by executing one or more software programs corresponding to various functions. The information processing apparatus is often connected to other devices via a network and can distribute image data, for example, to the other devices. The information processing apparatus stores therein user information such as distribution addresses, user restrictions, and charges.
As an example of the information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus is a system that functions as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, and a scanner (hereinafter referred to as a multifunctional apparatus). The multifunctional apparatus is provided with a display unit, a printing unit, and an image capture unit in the system, and is further provided with software programs each corresponding to the function of a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a scanner. A user can use the multifunctional apparatus as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a scanner by switching the software programs.
The image forming apparatus is connected with other image forming apparatuses and computers via a network and distributes the image data, for example, to the other image forming apparatuses and computers. The image forming apparatus stores therein user information such as addresses and user restriction/charges.
The distribution address information is used to manage addressees and senders. The distribution address information is not so often updated; it is relatively easily backed up. The number of entries is usually large because the addresses of users that do not directly use the information processing apparatus or the image forming apparatus are included in the distribution address information.
On the other hand, the user restriction information and the charge information are used to manage the authorization (user restriction) of various functions and the usage (the number of printed pages, for example) of the authorized functions by respective users. The user restriction/charge information is updated frequently whenever the information processing apparatus is used; the creating of its backup copy is not easy. Only users who directly use the information processing apparatus or the image forming apparatus are managed using the user restriction/charge information. Therefore, the number of users is relatively small.
As described above, the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information are different in the easiness of backup and the number of users to be managed thereby. Due to this difference, the information storage apparatuses suitable for the respective information sets are also different. The distribution address information requires an information storage apparatus with a large capacity even at the sacrifice of speed and reliability. The user restriction/charge information, however, requires an information storage apparatus of high speed and high reliability at the sacrifice of cost and capacity.
Conventionally, an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus store the distribution address information in a hard disk drive, and store the user restriction/charge information in a non-volatile random access memory (RAM).
The conventional information processing apparatus is provided with one or more application software programs corresponding to each of various information processing functions. Each application program, however, manages the distribution address information separately. The conventional image forming apparatus is provided with application programs corresponding to user services of intrinsic image forming processing such as printing, copying, scanning, and transmitting facsimile. Each application program, however, manages the distribution address information separately.
The separate management of user information thus requires hardware resources otherwise unnecessary, and increases the risk of bugs in the application programs.
Additionally, the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information need to be stored and controlled in a hard disk drive (HDD) or a non-volatile random access memory (RAM) so that the application programs can access these information sets.
A system initialization module and so forth updates the distribution address information. When registering, updating, and accessing the distribution address information or the user restriction/charge information, the system initialization module is required to determine in which, the HDD or the non-volatile RAM, the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information are stored so that the system initialization module can designate appropriate one.
Further, in the case of the conventional information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus, a user is required to directly operate an operation panel provided on the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus to access or update the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information.
Accordingly, the user needs to go to the place where the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus are placed in order to access and update the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information.
Additionally, since the size of the operation panels differs, the amount of information displayed on the operation panel changes apparatus by apparatus. The operation panel provided on an image forming apparatus is usually small. Accordingly, depending on the size of the operation panel, the amount of information that can be displayed on the operation panel is sometimes not large enough.
Furthermore, the user is required to follow a predetermined format and order of the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus so as to access or update the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information.
The user needs to make a substantial effort to directly operate the operation panel and so forth provided to the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus so as to access the distribution address information and the user restriction/charge information.